Board 8 > Getting to the finale of Cold Steel II and I dunno dudes. *unmarked spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

Act 1 was pretty strong, but as soon as they go super freedom and open for Act 2 the game kind of feels like it stops mattering. You can have any party so the dialogue feels empty. Never really feels like the narrative is pulling it's weight, or that your party actually matters. All this tedious traveling around, backtracking through areas....not really feeling like the focused, guided experience of the first game or Act 1.

Now I'm entering the final dungeon and... The last time I really enjoyed myself was the escape from the Pantegruel. Hoping this goes all out for the ending or something.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Hoping this goes all out for the ending or something.

It's a Trails game
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It's real gay of an ending for sure
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Yeah Cold Steel II has issues imo. Definitely my least favoriteTrails game, though I'd still give it a solid 8/10 or so.

The good parts are really good though.
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I really like the beginning, the intermission and the end of Cold Steel II

everything else was fine
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Epilogue time.

...who the fuck are these people?
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If it's what I think it is...

They're characters from the Crossbell games
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I loved Cold Steel 2! Probably my favorite Trails game after Sky SC. (I've only played Sky and Cold Steel though)

Crossbell time
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That was pretty hard after crushing the last few hours and not having any cheap bullshit to fall back on.
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The postgame stuff feels like DLC they made part of the game. The one you're on would have been like a story DLC and the next one a dungeon dlc
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...How will this final dungeon take?

Seeing that it's randomized makes me kind of not even want to do it.
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You can basically just run through it except for the bosses, so not terribly long.

You get to use Towa though :D

I'll be honest, I really dislike when RPGs do that big build up to the finale, have a meaningful final boss, and then follow it up with a huge drop in urgency to only go "oh, by the way, one more full thing to do!"

It's takes me way out of the experience. I think it's a big problem with the Persona games, too.

Like, I am REALLY not digging what this game has been laying out since the Vermillion fight stuff ended. I was vaguely interested in that Crossbell dungeon, but when it comes down to it I did not give a shit.
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yeah CS2's 'epilogue' bit is pretty bad. I had pretty similar thoughts on it.

Currently listening to a podcast while the TV is muted and buttoning through all the dialogue for these tasks without reading a word because why the fuck would I care about any of this stuff now?
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Because it's you I assume you're not going to do NG+ so here's a very important NG+ exclusive sidequest/cutscene that Cold Steel 3 is going to assume you saw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7iCmkgGFGE" data-time="
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I literally didn't play the epilogue part. I probably should at some point

and of course now you're free to see the Cold Steel 3 OP which features a mix of new characters, old Cold Steel 1/2 characters and TitS/Crossbell characters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvH6rhsxBd4" data-time="

Personally didn't care for it as much as 1 or 2

although I did go ahead and see the opening for 4 too and that's my favorite one
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Gonna wait until I'm actually done before watching those.

The one thing that's actually intriguing me about this so far is wanting to know Claire's deal.
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And thus we end with the PS4 struggling to handle a PS3 cutscene.
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Waiting to do the epilogue until after I beat Crossbell
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So yeah, the final dungeon was whatever, didn't fight any random enemies at all, Cryltids got 2 turns tops because of delay being broken. Final Boss was ROUGH, just ended up spamming those DLC Zerum Powders to Awakened 200 CP Termination Slash with Rean repeatedly.

Still though, what a stark contrast to 1. 1 had a low impact final dungeon and then a nuts twist and huge revelation, and just made you desperate for the followup. 2 has it's big moment final dungeon with crazy fights and twists, max hype...then just ends on a total nothing whimper of the dullest sidequests and a randomly generated dungeon with a pallet swap final boss. Can't get more opposite than that.

That combined with just how empty act 2 felt, feeling like one huge sidequest, hurts the game a good bit. Act 1 was very strong, but after that the individual members of Class VII became meaningless, without the ability to really impact anything because any of them could be in the party at any time. Even when they locked members in it felt arbitrary.

Probably a 7 for Cold Steel 2, compared to the 9 for Cold Steel 1.

Still, very excited for 3! Time to look at these trailers and openings and junk, see what the hell is up.
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LapisLazuli posted...

And thus we end with the PS4 struggling to handle a PS3 cutscene.

the power of the cell
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I've read that the events of Cold Steel 2 were originally intended to be just the final chapter of Cold Steel 1.

For sure they were originally intended as 1 game.
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they also originally intended for 3 to just be one game too, right?

geez get it together

colliding posted...

they also originally intended for 3 to just be one game too, right?

geez get it together

it's classic falcom

Trails in the Sky FC and SC were originally planned as one game but Falcom realized it was getting too big and split it. Then they originally intended to make Zero no Kiseki next but realized they needed to cover some other world-building stuff first so they ended up making Trails in the Sky the 3rd.
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Caught up on the stuff.

.5 off Cold Steel 2's total score for locking plot critical content behind a full second playthrough.

Yeah that 3 OP is iffy...so it's a whole new crew? Time jump? That's the black rabbit chick, right? It seems rainbow anime hair has infested the main party this time. I though Mint and the twins were going to be exceptions for this series.

I'm realizing that I might have liked Xanadu more than 1, too. Maybe that's just the slight dissapointed in 2 coloring my opinion?
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I'm assuming I can't watch the 4 OP.
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Focusing more on Rean at the expense of the rest of the cast was one of the things I wasn't so into about 2 vs. 1. Felt like no one else really mattered that much.
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+1 Point for Machias ditching the big dumb gun for dual pistols.

-1 point for long hair Fie. Gross.

...+1 point for Alisa's new outfit.
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LapisLazuli posted...

Time jump?

18 months after Cold Steel 2. Rean is now a Thors instructor at a new branch campus and leads the new Class VII

that's really the only basic details you need to know
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meanwhile I keep watching the website for the new Trails from Zero fan translation for their next update

https://geofront.esterior.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO0d_nRETiQ" data-time="

SEE IT'S THAT GUY YOU DIDN'T KNOW FROM THE EPILOGUE
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Whoooooooop 3 got moved up to September? Hope I don't burn out.

ninkendo posted...

meanwhile I keep watching the website for the new Trails from Zero fan translation for their next update

https://geofront.esterior.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO0d_nRETiQ" data-time="

SEE IT'S THAT GUY YOU DIDN'T KNOW FROM THE EPILOGUE

Looks like a nerd. Sounds like a nerd, too.

Blue cat ears chick seems cool.
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Would a nerd be hanging out with someone like


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Yeah I wasn't gonna comment but...that chick is super not my aesthetic. I think she clashes a lot and her design made me feel like she was a DOA girl or something. Really not a fan.
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I mean

they did make her costume available in DoA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZxH6zOCgeg" data-time="
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Wow.
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As much as I complained at the end there, feels pretty empty not having an RPG to play right now.
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time to give TitS a second chance :O
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Great when's it hitting PS4.
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Well enjoy being utterly lost in CS3 and 4 when they come out if you don't I guess!

I'll read a wiki.
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Also to be less snark, my PC is legit not in a workable state ATM, so you're actually asking for a several hundred dollar investment.
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stop by my place you can play it on my PSP
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